Field
Example embodiments in general relate to a trailer hitch spring bar cover system for providing clean and safe storage of a trailer weight distribution system including spring bars and towing balls.
Related Art
Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Pull trailers, especially those defined as bumper pull rather than fifth-wheel pull include boat trailers, camper trailers, utility trailers, car hauling trailers, livestock and horse trailers and others. Pull trailers typically employ a trailer hitch coupler that is removably attached to a trailer hitch ball mounted to a vehicle.
The points of contact between the pull trailer and the towing vehicle create points of high stress since many thousands of pounds of pressure bear down on just a few heavy duty connecting points. These points include the coupling between a trailer coupler socket and hitch ball, as well as the load-leveling spring bar attachments to the adjustable load stabilizing head. To reduce wear, and thereby maintain a long service life of these components, lubrication grease is liberally applied to these high friction points of the spring bars and hitch balls.
Those familiar with towing trailers understand that trailers are routinely attached and detached from the towing vehicle. Further, when certain trailers are attached to load stabilizing towing heads, detaching the trailer also involved detaching the removable spring loading bars that are used to stabilize and level the trailer and towing vehicle during towing.
It is also well known that the effectiveness of lubricating grease is substantially diminished when dirt or similar grit becomes embedded in the grease. More importantly, the addition of dirt or grit into grease applied to high friction connection points, such as a trailer coupler socket and towing hitch ball, increased friction, galling and unwanted metal removal during towing often result. The service life of towing components is significantly shortened by dirt-contaminated grease.
Some components, namely stabilizing spring bars (e.g. round spring bars, trunnion spring bars) are therefore often stored in the vehicle or trailer to prevent the grease from becoming contaminated. However, one problem with storing greasy spring bars is that the grease itself becomes the contaminate, and soils whatever surface is contact, requiring cleanup. Grease that has come off of the components must then be replaced, requiring the trailer owner to use rags or other means to transfer grease from a container to the greased area of the components.
In instances where trailer hitch balls remain on the vehicle hitch after disconnecting the trailer, people walking near the rear of the vehicle inadvertently rub against the ball, contaminating their clothes with grease that had been applied to the ball. In this instance, once again, the uncovered hitch ball has caused clothes to be ruined, and the owner must then reapply grease to replace the grease removed by the contact. Further, the uncovered, greased hitch ball is exposed to dust and dirt that can easily contaminate the remaining grease, requiring complete removal of the contaminated grease, and greasing of the ball before reconnecting the trailer.
These problems are well known in the industry. Some devices have been created with the promise of solving many of these problems. For instance, trailer hitch ball covers have been known for many decades. As a fast and cheap means to cover greased hitch balls, trailer owners have cut slits in the wall of a traditional tennis ball so that it can be fit over the hitch ball. Although this creative “fix” prevents grease from being transferred to a passerby's pants leg, when it comes time to remove the tennis ball cover to re-couple the trailer, the mere act of removing the ball cover removes a substantial amount of grease from the ball, leaving the owner the option of hitching up the trailer with a poorly greased ball, or re-greasing the ball before connecting the coupler. It can be readily seen that the solution just described is inadequate since is actually creates a new series of problems.
Various manufacturers have attempted to solve these secondary problems with products that minimize contact with the hitch ball when slipping the cover over the ball, but the final analysis is that the ball cover must incorporate geometry that grips the ball to prevent it from accidentally falling off, the geometry just described creating the same grease-removing problem as just described. Although the amount of grease that is removed when removing the cover may be less than the amount of grease removed when using the tennis ball solution, even the reduced amount of grease requires the owner to re-grease the ball before re-coupling the trailer.
In some instances when load stabilizing spring bars are removed, the owner may use plastic bags as a means to protect the greased ends of the bar from becoming contaminated with dirt, and further prevent the greased bar from contaminating the surface upon which they are stored. As can be readily seen, plastic bags or other flexible greased-end covers only solve part of the problems just mentioned. However, the inside of the plastic bags, or the contact surface of other flexible covers become soiled with the grease, and ultimately remove some of the grease from the spring bar ends, necessitating the need to re-grease the spring bar ends before re-attaching them to the adjustable spring bar head.
Therefore, those skilled in the art will appreciate the convenience, extended period of time between re-greasing trailer towing components, the extended service life of the components, and the commercial value of new and novel accessories that are easily attached to grease-coated towing system components when the trailer is removed, that prevent the grease from becoming contaminated by dirt, prevent the grease from contaminating clean surfaces, and which can be easily removed without removing an excessive amount of grease that would be insufficient to properly reduce the friction and wear on the high load surfaces.